Seal border with Bangladesh: Gadkari

New Delhi: Holding illegal migration as being responsible for the recent ethnic violence in Assam claiming many lives, BJP president Nitin Gadkari today demanded that the border with Bangladesh be sealed.

"The Congress has a tie-up with infiltrators from Bangladesh for its vote-bank politics and this is the main problem for the recent violence in Assam," Gadkari alleged.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari. Reuters

"They must break this and protect the nation, the people of Assam. It is the duty of the central and state governments," he said while speaking at a discussion on "Bodo Hindus - Refugees in their own land".

Holding the illegal foreign infiltration as the main reason for the violent incidents in Assam, Gadkari appealed to all political parties to stand by the people of Indian origin and throw out the illegal migrants.

"I appeal to all political parties not to link this with vote-bank politics and instead link this with the nation's internal security.... It is not a problem of Hindus versus Muslims, as projected, but a problem between the people of Indian origin and foreign infiltrators," Gadkari said.

The BJP chief also appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to protect the people of Assam from the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who he alleged were instigating violence, saying he has made many promises for the welfare of Assamese people in the past.

He demanded that the border with Bangladesh be sealed and cited the example of Israel where they have used modern technology to develop such fencing where infiltration is not possible. He also sought identification of illegal immigrants.

Questioning the "intelligence failure" both at the Centre and the state of Assam that led to the violence clashes, Gadkari said, "If the Army would have gone there on time and government acted on time, the lives of a may people could have been saved."

He charged the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators with attacking Indians and for usurping their land.

The BJP chief also charged the government with not doing enough to protect the innocent natives.

"Will the doors of this nation continue to remain open for illegal foreign infiltrators? How long will this political compromise be done? Are we not able to stop infiltrators?," Gadkari questioned and charged leadership in Delhi of not having a strong political to check illegal infiltration.

"The leaders in Delhi do not have the political will to stop illegal infiltration...because it is helping the Congress in its vote-bank politics. That is why the stand of the Congress towards illegal infiltration is not clear," the BJP chief said, hinting at moving the Human Rights Commission if the government still did not act for people of Assam.

"It is a violation of the Human Rights," he said.

Gadkari said this was not just a problem confined to Assam and appealed to all parties to rise above political lines and stand by the Bodos.

Gadkari also appealed to the people of the nation to donate generously for those affected due to ethnic violence in Assam and said his party MPs would donate their one month salary for helping the the affected people.

He also announced that the BJP would sit on a dharna at Jantar Mantar tomorrow on the issue of communal clashes in Kokrajhar in Assam. "We stand by you," Gadkari said while extending his party's support for the riot-affected Bodos.